Orchard-heater.



W. C. SCHEU.

ORCHARD HEATER. I APPu'cAnoN EILED MAR.18, 1913. 1,136 9 O2, PatentedApr. 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. C. SCHEU.

ORCHARD HEATER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1913.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

2 BEEETS- BHEBT 2.

WILLIAM G. scnnu, or GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO. I

ORCHARD-HEATER.

To all whom. it may concern:

- Be it knownthat I, WILLIAM SCHEU, a

, 'm m in 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of another modification of the invention. Fig. 8 is a plan of the form shown in Fig. 7.

citizen of the- United States, residing at Grand. Junction, in the county of- Mesa and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Orchard-Heater, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for burn- 1 ing oil, or other liquid fuel, to produce heat for the protection of orchards, or for other purposes, and the main object of the invention is to provide a heater which will burn the fuel with efliciency and with a minimum of smoke or soot.

A- further object of the invention is to provide a heater capable of burning for an extended time with eificient combustion, and

of simple and cheap construction.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of my invention, and referring thereto: Figure 1 is a plan 'of one form of the invention, showing the cover partially removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the heater with the cover in place. Fig. 3 is atransverse section on line w -w in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the heater. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of another form of the heater. Fig. 6 is a section on line Fig. 9 is a vertical section of another modification.

The heater comprises an oil tank or reservoir 1, of any suitable cross section, for ex? ample, square, as shown in Fig. 1, a cover member 2 removably mounted on said tank,

a mixing device 3 connected to receive com-' bustible mixture generated by heating the fuel in tank 1, and stack 4 which also serves as'a combustion chamber for the combustible mixture.

I A draft flue and generator chamber is preferably provided in the tank 1, formed,

in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3, by a sheet.

metal member 5 resting at its ends on the end walls of the tank 1 and having depending side walls or portions 6 which extend nearly to the bottom of the tank 1, so as to partition off a central draft flue and generator chamber 7, in said tank and separate such chamber from the remainder of the interior of the tank, while allowing oil or liquid fuel toflow from the tank into the bottom of said chamber 7. Member 5 is provided with an air inlet opening 5' and cover 'member 2 is provided with an air inlet opening 2 registering with the air inlet opening 5, an air inlet valve 8 being provided on the cover member to allow the air inlet opening 2 to be wholly or partly closed. The air inlet openings 2 and 5 are preferably located near one end of the generator chamber 7, and near the other end of said chamber, the member 5 and the cover 2 are provided respectively with vapor outlet openings 10 and 11 communicating with the mixing chamber or box 3. In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the cover member 2 is provided with downturned flanges 13 adapted to'slide over horizontal flanges 14 on the 'end,-?I. e., at the end away from the stack,

with air' inlet openings 15, and opens at its opposite end into the interior of the stack 4. The stack 4 may had any suitable form A the air entering the bottom of the stack to be distributed into the mixture passing from the mixing chamber. A damper'plate 20 is preferably provided in stack 4 resting on a bead 4' in said stack and provided with perforations 20' through which the flame passes and is preferably removable from the cover,

out of the stack, this damper serving to re- 7 tard the flow of heat and retain the heat in the stack, 'so as to assist in maintaining combustion.

The operation is as follows: The tank 1 is filled with oil or liquid fuel up to the de sired level, oil occupying the lower part of the-chamber 7 as well as the rest of the tank.

Combustion is then started by igniting gasolene, paper-or other combustible placed in the chamber 7, with the result that the interior of the tank becomes heated sufliclently to cause generation of vapor from the body of oil in the chamber 7, the air inlet valve 'member 8 being opened sufliciently to allow enough 'air to enter to support the partial combustion and conduce generation of vapor in this manner, but not sufficient for complete combustion of the vapor so generated.

jplate 18, so that the portion of the stack ad jacent the mixer serves as a combustion The vapor so generated passes along the chamber 7 and out through the outlet 10 to the mixingchamber 3, wherein it is mixed with a further quantity of' air passing through the inlets. 15, producing a mixture which enters the stack and burns therein on coming in contact .with the air passing through the perforations 19 in the bottom chamber. On account of the effective mixing of the air with the vapor before co bustion, 'a substantially smokeless flame, of

great heating efficiency, is produced in this combustion.

The oil tank or receptacle 1 may be of any suitable form. '-Figs.' 5 and 6 illustrate a form in which this tank is round, and they further illustrate other modifications of the device as follows:

The cover 22 .is formed with sloping sides so as to shed water and the stack 24 is formed of oblong cross section with its greatest'width extending transversely of the line of the draft from the mixer 23, so as to spread the. flame laterally. .Said stack is also shown in these figures as provided with perforations 29 in the side for admitting air to'support combustion and the bottom of the stack is closed as at 28 to serve as a firing pan for receiving combustible in starting the device in operation. The air inletopening 25 in the cover is closed more or less by means of the valve .or closure "member 28. In this form of, the invention the draft flue or generator bhamber is formed by a U-shaped member 27 resting onthebottom of the tank 21 and having side Walls 29 extending up into proximity with the top member 22, said side walls 29 being provided with perforations 29 for permitting oil to flow between the space 27 within the member 27 and the remainder of the tank 21.

- The operation of this form of my invention iieo lower walls extending laterally therefrom into the stack 34:, and being provided with perforations 33 in said upper and lower walls of said extension to permit aircoming from below to enter through the lower perforations 33 and mix with the'vapor pass; ing from chamber 33, the resulting mixtureassing out through the upper perforations 33 and being burned by combustion with air entering from perforations 34' in the stack 34:. The tank 31. is provided with an air inlet 35 in its cover 32 regulated by a valve or closure member 38, so as to admit the required amount of air for partial com-' bustion with oil so as to continuously generate vapor, additional openings 39 being provided if necessary, in the side walls of the tank 31 to supply sufficient air for this purpose. In the operation of this form of my invention the partial combustion of the oil in the tank 31, supported by air-passing through inlets 35 and 39, produces a vapor which passing through the chamber 33 becomes mixed with air in the mixing chamber between theupper and lower walls 100f the extension of said mixing chamber and is burned in the stack as above described.

The mixing chamber may be formed on the cover as above described, or as illustrated at A3 in Fig. 9, it may be formed on the body of the oil tank or receptacle 41.

What I claim is: 1. A heater comprising a tank for containing liquid fuel, a cover therefor, means for supplying a restricted amount of air in said tank to produce partial combustion and generation of vapor from the fuel contained therein, a mixer communicating with said tank to receive the vapor therefrom, and

provided with air inlet means for mixing air with said vapor, and a stack communicating with said mixer to receive the mixture of air and vapor therefrom and to serve as a combustion chamber therefor, said stack being provided with air inlet means for supplying air to support combustion of said mixture. 2. A heater comprising a tank for containing liquid fuel, a. cover therefor, verticalpartitions extending across said tank form ing a draft flue and generator chamber communicating at its lower portion with the remainder of the tank, air inlet means in the cover of the tank near one end of said draft flue and generator chamber for supplying a restricted amount of air to said draft flue and generator chamber in said tank toproduce partial combustion and generation of vapor from the fuel contained therein, a mixer communicating with said draft'flue andgenerator chamber in said tank at the other end of said draft flue and generator chamber. to receive the vapor therefrom, and protided with air inlet means for mixing air with said vapor, and a stack communieating with said mixer to receive the mix ture of air and vapor therefrom and to serve as a combustion chamber therefor.

3. A heater comprising a-tank for containing liquid fuel, a cover therefor, means for supplying-arestricted amount of air in said tank to producepartial combustion and generation of vapor from the fuel contained tank to receive the vapor therefrom, and In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set provided with air inlet means for mixing air my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 10 with said vapor, a stack communicating with 10th day of March, 1913.

said mixer to receive the mixture "of air and vapor therefrom and serve as a combustion WILLIAM SOHEU' chamber-therefor, and aperforated plate in In presenee of said: stack below the top thereof for retard- 'ARTHUR P. KNIGHT,

ing the passage of flame from the stack. MARTHA M. LANG. 

